Forgery ring pays price for cheap work permits
KUALA LUMPUR: A syndicate is selling fake work permits and IKad for as cheap as RM30.
The gang was busted during a raid in Chow Kit here on Sunday, said Immigration Department directorgeneral Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali.
The syndicate, known as “Geng Ah Boy”, had operated from two handphone shops and investigation revealed that it had been active for about three years.
The syndicate forged Approval Letter To Work With Other Company, Temporary Work Visit Passes or commonly known as work permit, and IKad which were sold for RM30 to RM180.
He said the RM180 was the hottest “package” as it offered all three documents.
The cost to obtain a work permit varies depending on the sectors and it usually starts from RM2,000.
Mustafar said the syndicate’s customers were mostly from the Klang Valley, particularly those in the Chow Kit and Kampung Baru areas.
“It catered mostly to Indonesians and Bangladeshis.
“Interestingly, the foreigners knew it was fake but they didn’t mind as it was way much cheaper and having a document which looks genuine to the naked eye apparently gives them peace of mind,” he told a press conference at the Home Ministry Complex here yesterday.
Mustafar said three Malaysians, believed to be the masterminds of the syndicate, were arrested with two Indonesian women promoters.
He said the suspects, aged between 25 and 38, would be investigated under Section 55Dof the Immigration Act for forgery, or alteration of endorsements or documents.
“They could have raked in hundreds of thousands of ringgit,” he said.
Mustafar also said from Jan 1 until last Friday, the department conducted 8,505 operations against illegal foreign workers.
He said 104,000 foreigners were screened and of the total, 25,412 illegal workers and 672 employers were arrested.